The discovery of the use of antioxidants to increase the storage life of foods has made possible the marketing of many new products and is a direct economic benefit to consumers. Today, antioxidants are widely used in processed foods. Their sales reached $45 million in 1975 and are projected to reach $72 million within a decade (Food Technology, 1976). In addition, antioxidants are widely used in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, essential oils and plastics for food packaging.
The commonly used antioxidants today are BHT, BHA and TBHQ. They are all synthetic chemicals. There is a tendancy for the consumers to reject them. In addition, it is of great marketing advantage to claim a food product as "all natural". Use of the synthetic antioxidant will preclude such labelling.
The possible toxicity of the synthetic chemicals used as antioxidants has been a subject of study for many years (Johnson and Hewgill, 1961; Branen, 1975). The concern of the FDA on the use of BHT has been reported (Food Chemical News (1976). The concern stems from scientific literature reviews conducted for the FDA which focused on the enzyme-inducing effects of BHT on liver and on extraheptic organs, such as the lungs and gastrointestinal tract mucosa. The article also reported that the FDA has expressed an interest in the effect of BHT on the conversion of other ingested materials into toxic substances or carcinogens by the increase of microsomal enzymes. This is certainly nothing new because restrictions have been placed upon the use of such synthetic antioxidants by many European and Asian countries.
At the present time, BHT has been removed from the GRAS List by the FDA. After Nobuyuki Ito of Nagoya City University Medical School in Japan, 1982, reported findings showing BHA to be carcinogenic in rats, BHA is in the process of being carefully scrutinized. TBHQ has never been approved in Japan, Canada and certain European countries. These countries hold that there has been insufficient information presented to make a ruling on safety. Since an antioxidant is an unavoidable additive, very soon, the food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries will have no practical options because the only common natural antioxidant, mixed tocopherols, has only weak antioxidant properties. Therefore, the need of effective, safe, natural antioxidants is urgent and great.